This book was an attention grabber from the start. As a lover of gone girl, this book helped me relive the experience again!

Piers might have jumped to escape domestic abuse but my girlie Acacia, Acacia puts men down no remose. Get in witches we're going to eat poison and hunt bad boys 😎

Definitely had to read some bits with closed eyes but once we got to the protection of Aunt Myrtle and Bart better days. Great story about saving oneself and the importance of strong women.
(No dogs were harmed)

4.5 stars!

I loved this one! Ava Morgyn has a new fan. I read this right after the election, and it was the perfect moody witchy read to validate my frustrations.

Piers escapes the violent hands of her husband, and flees to live with her long-lost aunt in the backwoods. Along the way, she realizes that she has some unexpected power and accidentally kills a few bad men. Her aunt Myrtle reveals that she is a bane witch, meaning that she can kill people with her bodily fluids after ingesting poisonous plants. Meanwhile, Piers and the other witches are protected from the harmful effects of the plants. Piers is met with an ultimatum: become a part of the witches' venery, or be killed.

I am a fantasy-lite reader, and this had the perfect level of magic for my taste! The magical elements felt almost believable, and I loved how the story began as a thriller and had some romance as well. I was hooked from the beginning, and had to know if the Saranac Strangler and horrible husband Henry would get their punishment from Piers. Highly recommend this book, publishing in March 2025!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book had me in a vice. With it's thrilling scenes and magical prose this a compelling story of female rage. The opening chapter was brilliant comparing planning the perfect death was the perfect room and from there I was hooked. Piers was a fine character but I loved Myrtle. I would happily take a sequel to this book or a spin off with one of the other covens.

This is not my usual read, but I enjoyed it so much! It was a perfect fall read. The e-book provided by the publisher and NetGalley did not have trigger warnings, but I hope they include it. I loved the world-building and character development. The writing was very descriptive.

I needed time to process my thoughts after finishing this book. I loved it so much that I doubt my words can fully do it justice—but I’ll give it a try.

This novel delivered everything my soul was craving: magic in the modern world, a gripping revenge thriller, and an exploration of feminine rage and empowerment. A close friend and I often discuss how stories about women’s empowerment can sometimes unfairly diminish the good men who do exist. This book strikes the perfect balance, celebrating the good guys while utterly dismantling the bad ones.

At the heart of the story is Piers Corbin, a woman on a journey of self-discovery. After fleeing a violent marriage, she starts over with a distant aunt in Upstate New York. Piers, who has always been drawn to poisonous things, begins to uncover what that affinity means—its connection to her family and to a shadowy magical realm lurking beneath society’s surface.

With its eerie forests, sinister fungi, and dark witchy vibes, this book is a must-read for fans of thrillers, mysteries, and magical realism.

This book quickly became one of my favorite reads of the year. The concept alone had me intrigued from the start, but the writing style is so engaging that once I started I couldn’t put this down.

The main character, Piers, is strong but flawed, and very relatable despite the fantastical circumstances she ends up in. The way the witchcraft in this story is interwoven with feminine strength and the ability to take back a sense of power against abusers is absolutely masterful. I want to recommend this to every woman I know.

I enjoyed the concept of this book so much. As a woman, it's nice to momentarily live in a world where men actually get punished for their insidious deeds. I would be a Bane Witch at the drop of a hat if I could, so I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

There were a few misgivings for me, though. Piers had incredibly childish moments throughout the book. There were points when I wanted to knock some sense into her head, especially when she acted like she knew what she was doing better than everyone else. Also, while I wouldn't call the love story here "instalove," there wasn't any depth to it. They just suddenly loved each other after a few nights of needing to be together. Lastly, the ending wrapped up too tidly. What happened with Henry? How did she get away with all of those murders? I assume Regis must be covering for her for some of them, but Henry?

All in all, it was a fun book. I zoomed through it and would read a continuance if the author ever decided to keep the story going.

The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn is a dark thriller, fantasy book about witches. The story follows the main character, Piers, who fakes her own death to frame her abusive husband in South Carolina and heads to New York to find her aunt Myrtle, where she learns she comes from a long line of witches who eat poisons, called Bane Witches. Bane witches are different in that they only target men who have committed atrocious acts against women. Something about their magic helps lure these men to them and their need to eat poison becomes overwhelming the closer their “marks” get. Piers needs to learn about her magic fast as a serial killer is closing in and he’s just her type.

I was hooked on this book from the very first page. The narration was excellent and the story was captivating. I felt compelled to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. This story is mostly told from Pier’s perspective and occasionally we get the perspective of Emil, an investigator in South Carlina, which helps bring the story along. I do feel as though there should have been another two chapters from Emil. On his way to find her in NY and towards the end of the book before Azalea comes. Without it, it seems his part story is incomplete. Pier’s character goes through a very satisfying development but the final “showdown” does seem to happen to fast.. a bit of an abrupt end there but it didn’t take away from the lure of the story.

I really enjoyed reading this book and will definitely be recommending this book to others. This book is classified as fantasy but the magic system in this book isn’t too outwardly and is based on real life poisons so its easy to comprehend.

Trigger warnings for domestic abuse and threat of killing.

We meet Piers who is escaping her abusive husband and framed her husband for her ‘murder’. She learns when she escapes to her aunts home that she is a bane witch who can ingest poison like mushrooms and kill ‘deserving’ men. This was cool as a concept but didn’t love the execution. I was more interested in the detectives chapters than hers and I found the romance unnecessary.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity.
--------------------
"Things are not always as they seem, Piers. Remember that. A very little poison can do a world of good. It's all about how you apply it."
--------------------

First, I didn't include the summary of this book in my review because I have no idea how to summarize the book without giving things away. I walked into the book with very little expectations, and it blew me away so I am going to leave out a summary so you can do the same.
Okay. Onto the review.
If I could give this book 100 stars I would. The concept is the most interesting and captivating thing I have read in a long time. It is suspense with a fantasy element that doesn't take anything away from the very real mystery and intensity of the book. The focus on nature and the mountains is beautifully written and gives the book such a grounding feel, even though it also carries so much mystery.
It is such a unique book that connects you to the characters through their past and their trauma and the unknowns of their lives. All of the characters that you come across have secrets and as a reader that is a huge motivation to keep reading so I can uncover the secrets of the characters that I am getting close to.

I can honestly say that I haven't read a book like this one before.
I am so glad that I got the chance to read it, and I cannot recommend it enough!

This story was an exhilarating read from start to finish! The premise was unique and immediately drew me in, reminiscent of the suspenseful twists of Gone Girl combined with the enchanting elements of Practical Magic, and a touch of Poison Ivy’s fierce spirit from Batman. The author masterfully crafted a plot that kept me on edge, especially as it built toward the climactic conclusion.

The pacing was perfect, with every chapter pulling me deeper into the tangled web of intrigue. My heart was racing when I reached the final act, and I found myself gripping my Kindle in anticipation. Emil did something so infuriating to me in the final act that I wanted to punch him (if you know, you know!).

What I appreciated most was the empowering narrative of a woman’s journey to reclaim control and seek justice. It was a thrilling ride filled with drama, surprises and a deeply satisfying sense of vengeance. This book was an absolute joy to read, and I’m genuinely sad it’s over. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a gripping, revenge-driven story. I absolutely adored it!

I wasn’t expecting to like this so much.

I was expecting a lighthearted typical type of witchy book. More atmospheric than enticing.

But I was wrong. It was both of those things, dark and intense, while also exploring deep topics like abuse, death, grief. I will say there are trigger warnings because it can be intense at times but it made the characters feel even more real for me

The book was very original and a unique World building was intricate, plot was exciting and had no dull points.

But my favorite part was the character development, Piers is such a well rounded character. She deals with understanding her identity after finding out she is a witch having been aware of it before.

The magic system and coven as a whole was not generic and really creative

I honestly don’t have anything bad to say about the book personally but I can say it is dark and emotionally intense so just go into it aware of that

It's fascinating to follow Piers Corbin as she navigates a toxic world and sinister secrets. Her story is one of perseverance and self-discovery, spanning from a terrible childhood accident to a turbulent marriage and escape. She finds a history of Bane Witches—women who battle evil with lethal plants—after reestablishing contact with her estranged aunt, striking a balance between suspense and deep character development.

What can I say… I’m in my Witchy Era. This one was so perfect and I found it hard to put down. Early reviews were right, for fans of Gone Girl this one should be added to your tbr.

Piers leaves an abusive relationship to find that she ultimately has the power to save many women like herself. Her journey is powerful.

Rating 4.5 stars

I went into this novel with no expectations whatsoever as I have never read of Ava Morgyn’s works before, and I was very satisfied with The Bane Witch being my first impression. I nearly immediately fell in love with the prose and imagery Morgyn used to tell this story of retribution against violent men.

We follow the main character Piers on her plan to leave her abusive husband by faking her suicide. After she reconnects with a distant relative Piers learns that her heritage is a lot more complex than she had originally believed. I thought the beginning was a little choppy and info dump-y with Piers’ actions and flashbacks going back and forth, which made following along with the narrative a little difficult. Other than that, I have no complaints about the pacing or exposition except for it feeling a little predictable at times.

The magic system is unlike any I’ve ever encountered before and I think it was so creative and interesting. Witches who consume poisonous plants in order to kill men who abuse women is just such a compelling concept for a novel and I loved it. I think Piers’ acceptance and personal development in regard to her newfound powers was explored well and felt realistic — regardless that it’s an at all legitimate possibility.

Overall this was a good read. I wouldn’t say I necessarily enjoyed reading it due to some of the content, but definitely a beautifully written story of a woman killing rapists which is something I can totally get behind.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Bane Witch is a contemporary fantasy about bane witches and the men they hunt. There's always something gratifying about watching a woman go from victim to fearless hunter. I guess maybe because some of us wish we could make that transformation!

After Piers fakes her death to escape her abusive husband, she runs to her aunt who reveals her secret heritage as a bane witch. Piers has to cement her place among her family as well as survive the dangerous men who come for her. It was a relief to see good men in this book too. Men who helped Piers and suffered from their family being put in situations like hers with dangerous men, pushing home how abusive people hurt everyone and how the justice system can fail. Those are the issues that this book wrestles with and explores while keeping tensions high.

If you like darker contemporary stories about women getting revenge and enforcing their own brand of justice on the world, then this is the book for you.

Piers fakes her own death to escape an abusive husband and heads off in search of her Aunt Myrtle, where she learns an unbelievable family secret about her attraction to poisonous things. Fascinating!

The Bane Witch is my first book by Ava Morgyn and I can’t wait to read more by her! This was amazing and went places I did not expect them to go. The writing was wonderful and wasn’t to hard to follow. The imagery was amazing and I could see everything that was happening! Please go buy this when it comes out! 10 🌸 out of 5 🌸

What an unexpected witchy vigilante story!! This book caught me completely off guard but in a really good way and I very much enjoyed this one.

This book starts off strong and deep! I did not expect this book to have so many sensitive topics come at you within the first couple of chapters but they did and they hit hard. I think I had different expectations based on the cover and blurb that this was going to be a more cozy, maybe whimsical fierce witchy story and while it was a fire we witchy story, this book is more about the revenge and comeback of a witch who has suffered trauma.

The world building and characters were well fleshed out and I loved the FMC Piers. This has elements of a darker version of Practical Magic meets Gone Girl. The backdrop in the spooky forest was perfect and it’s only a shame it doesn’t come out during the spooky autumn season as it would be the perfect read for that vibe.